Jakarta. A research commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature, or WWF, recently revealed that the planet had lost 100 trees per minute due to Europe’s consumption of commodities.

Between 2021 and 2023, the European Union or EU’s demand for commodities such as soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, beef, leather, rubber, and industrial roundwood was responsible for the destruction of 149 million trees worldwide. This was equivalent to 100 trees lost every minute. The research also pushed for the implementation of the bloc’s anti-deforestation regulation, EUDR.

The group has postponed the EUDR until end of 2025 for large and medium-sized companies. Small enterprises have until June 2026.

The phase-in period lets businesses across the globe get used to the new scheme, which mandates traders to submit the exact coordinates of where their products are grown. The coordinates serve as proof that they do not come from deforested lands. 

According to the report, EU palm oil use has led to an annual removal of 6 million trees. Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil producer, and the European grouping has largely depended on supplies from Jakarta. 

“Germany ‘eats’ the most trees overall. … German consumption leads to the definitive loss of 13 million trees per year on average [36,678 ha],” the report reads.

The EU’s decision to delay its anti-deforestation regulation also comes with a cost.

“For the EU as a whole, a one-year delay to the EU deforestation regulation could amount to 16.8 million tonnes of imported greenhouse gas emissions. It would be like if all residents of London flew to New York three times a year,” the report also reads.

Indonesia has been critical of the EUDR, saying that the policy can take a toll on its palm oil smallholders. The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) recently said that Jakarta’s trade pact with the EU could clear the way for greater export of the country’s palm oil. 

“This highway [CEPA] is huge, but it has a complex new toll system, namely the EUDR. We cannot simply admire the open road; we must be ready to navigate it. This means we must be strategic, compliant, and ready to prove our capabilities. We implement governance. The EUDR is not just a rulebook; it is a challenge to our system. How do we respond? We fight facts with facts and standards with better standards,” Gapki chairman Eddy Martono said.

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